The Film
With the Little Fockers due in theaters any day now (December 22, to be exact), Universal is delivering the franchise's first two films to at-home audiences. Meet the Parents is hard to dislike, being the first of the series, and chock-full of Hollywood talent.
Ben Stiller plays Gaylord "Greg" Focker, whose name, skittish personality, and bad luck provide plenty of entertainment throughout the movie. He's a lovable guy, or at least his beloved Pam (Teri Polo) seems to think so. Her parents, Jack and Dina (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner), aren't so sure.
First impressions are tough, and Meet the Parents takes a familiar premise to painful levels. Everything that can possibly happen does, including fire, sewage flooding, and the disappearance of Jack's beloved cat Jinxie. Director Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) does a good job behind the camera, building suspense to where it becomes downright uncomfortable. It's still funny, though, and a lot of that has to do with the surprise comedy team of Stiller and De Niro.
The Picture
Universal seems to have tweaked this 1.85:1 transfer a bit, leaving a few of the images too slick and others on the softer side. That said, this is a nice upgrade and a good looking transfer overall. There's a bit of distortion in some scenes, but fans won't be disappointed or distracted. Meet the Parents offers a lot of good details here, most notably on Ben Stiller's stubble, De Niro's aging, worrisome face, and even Jinxie's pretty kitty coat. The outdoor shots are also nothing short of gorgeous, with the leaves, shrubs, floors, trees, etc. all extremely textured and lush.
The Sound
Meet the Parents doesn't offer much surround activity. However, it delivers the dialogue nicely, which is all you can really ask for when it comes to comedy. That said, there are a lot of pratfalls and catastrophic incidents throughout the movie, and it would have been nice if the soundfield offered a little more punch in those areas. Instead, the film's score scarfs up those opportunities. It's OK though; it works here.
The Extras
Viewers can find out more about the parents, the production, and everything else in this nice collection of extras. There are deleted scenes, outtakes, and two commentaries, including one that features both Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. "Spotlight on Location" is your typical promo piece, offering clips and interviews with most of the cast. There's also a short on the cat wrangling from the film. The most interesting bits, however, are centered around De Niro acting like, well... not like De Niro. It's sort of fun to watch him flub lines in the outtakes, and one deleted scene was even deemed worthy of its own featurette, "De Niro Unplugged." This is just another outtake; an extremely weird 93 seconds of the iconic actor belting out "Love is in the Air."
Another notable part of this collection is inside the BD Live portion, which offers a sneak peek at Little Fockers. Sure, it's promotional, but is timely and offers a nice peek into the franchise's next installment.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of the franchise, then you'll want to Meet the Parents on Blu-ray. It's a nice upgrade, with a decent transfer and a hearty selection of extras. It's also a funny refresher course, which could be essential before the third installment hits theaters in a couple of weeks.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
